Audited Course

Audited courses cannot be certified to VA.

Block Course

Be aware that block courses can impact fulltime/part time status and the payment amount from VA. Contact the School Certifying Official with any questions.

Class Attendance

A student must attend class the entire semester in order to receive the full GI Bill benefits, according to VA regulations. Nonattendance must be reported to VA and may result in a debt for the student.

Courses Dates

We are required to report the actual dates a student is enrolled in a course. If a student is completing an internship, we need the actual dates of the internship. If a student is participating in a study abroad program, we need the dates of when classes are in session for the program, excluding travel and orientation days. Please see "Study Abroad" for more information.

Credit by Examination

VA will not pay for credit by examination.

Declared Programs

All programs - majors and minors - must be declared for a course to be certified to VA.

Drop/Withdrawal or Change in Schedule

It is a student's responsibility to notify the School Certifying Official as soon as possible if he/she drops or withdraws from a class or makes changes to a semester's schedule after turning in the required JMU Form.

Electives

Elective courses can only be certified to VA if the student's declared programs (major, minors) requires elective credits to complete degree requirements for graduation. For example - elective credits may be required to reach 120 credits after all required courses are accounted for or to meet the minimum number of credits at a 4-year school and JMU for transfer students. Having multiple majors or minors will use elective room or eliminate all elective room. Please see the graduation requirements for your major and for JMU in the current course catalog.

Enrollment Certification

Enrollment certification for VA education benefits is not automatic. A student must submit a "Request for Veterans Educational Benefits" form every semester (received via email during registration for the upcoming semester) in order to initiate his/her educational benefits. This form should only be turned in once the upcoming class schedule is finalized.

We strongly recommend that students accomplish this as soon as they have secured classes in order to expedite the processing of educational benefits.

If a student is enrolled in a course that does not appear on his/her "student advisement report" or listed as a required course for his/her catalog year, we must have other written proof in order to certify the course.

"F" Grades

VA pays for "F" grades as long as the student attends the entire semester. If a student receive an "F" grade in a class and did not attend the entire semester, we are required to report the last date of attendance and the student may be required to repay educational benefits to VA.

Incompletes

Incomplete grades must be completed by the JMU deadline or within one year of receiving the incomplete grade at the latest. After one year, if the incomplete grade is not completed, it will be reported to VA and the student will be required to repay VA for this course. If the course is completed after the one year period, notify the School Certifying Official so VA can restore payment for the completed course.

Independent Study courses

A course that is an Independent Study is classified as "distance learning" (online) with VA.

Online Remedial Courses

Remedial courses that are conducted online cannot be certified to VA. Example - MATH 199e

"Recommended" Courses (not required courses)

VA does not pay for recommended courses unless a student's program allows for electives (see Electives above) Examples include MSSE 101 for Education, and "recommended courses" listed for prep programs like Pre-Med.

Repeats

A course that was successfully completed on the first attempt may not be certified to VA. VA will only pay for the repetition of a course only if a student received an "F" in the first attempt or did not meet the minimum grade requirement for the course for the student's declared program. Repeating a course to raise the GPA is not covered by VA. It is the student's responsibility to know if the repeat is required and provide documentation for proof.

Not achieving the required grade on the second attempt may result in a debt with VA.

Required Coursework

Only required coursework for graduation may be certified to VA. This includes courses for general education, degree, major and declared minors. Electives may be certified if they are needed to reach 120 credits for graduation (or other graduation credit requirement) after all other required courses are accounted for. Consult the course catalog for major and graduation requirements.

Required Prerequisite and Remedial Courses

VA may pay for required prerequisite courses for a declared program. VA may also pay for remedial courses that a student has been placed in through assessment testing.

Scholarships

All students who receive the Post 9/11 benefits (Chapter 33) must notify the School Certifying Official as soon as possible if they are receiving any scholarships. There are specific laws that impact Post 9/11 recipients and scholarships. Please read here for more information.

Semester Bill

It is the student's responsibility to ensure his/her account is paid accordingly, based on his/her benefit chapter, to avoid a hold/late fee. If a student receives Post 9/11(Chapter 33), please contact the School Certifying Official to determine what needs to be paid; Room and Board is always paid upfront for Post 9/11 students. If a student receives any other benefit chapter (Chapter 1606, 1607, 30, 35, etc), please have the entire bill covered by the University deadline each semester.

Study Abroad

Students must contact the School Certifying Official if they are interested in participating in a study abroad program and using their GI Bill benefits. Not all study abroad programs are covered by the GI Bill.

Summer Enrollments

Please contact the School Certifying Official (SCO) with any questions about how summer enrollments work with GI Bill benefits.

Tuition Classification

Residency classification for instate and out-of-state tuition is initially assigned by the Office of Admissions for incoming students and then reclassification is done by the University Business Office after a student has been at JMU for one semester. It is the student's responsibility to know his/her tuition classification.

For Post 9/11 recipients, Post 9/11 only covers up to the instate portion of tuition regardless of classification.

Undeclared Majors

A student with an undeclared major may only have general education courses certified with VA for payment until a major is declared with JMU. A student can only be undeclared with VA for two semesters. After two semesters, VA will not pay until a major is declared.